Legal Trainee / Rechtsreferendar*in in

Paid by the Federal State. Rates of pay are set centrally.

Location:

Berlin

Contract Type:

Fixed Term

Contract Duration:

3-4 months

Hours:

Part Time

Around 32 hours/week

Closing Date:

1 March 2026

First Interview Dates:

Starting from the 9th of March 2026

About the role

We are pleased to offer aspiring environmental lawyers and change-makers the opportunity to spend their legal traineeship at ClientEarth from May 2026 until December 2027 . We are a legal and environmental charity that uses the power of the law to fight against climate change and to protect nature and the environment. Legal trainees could join any of these teams :

• Emissions Reduction
• Environmental Democracy
• Marine Biodiversity
• Accountable Corporations
• The Sustainable Food System

Legal trainees will work with one of these teams. We ask you to indicate your preferences and specific knowledge when applying.

Typical tasks on your traineeship

• Drafting legal opinions and memos
• Legal research on environmental law issues
• Background research on emerging policy issues
• Attending meetings with NGOs and other stakeholders
• Taking part in the process of litigation, meetings with external lawyers, etc.
• Drafting requests for information to government agencies

Role requirements

• You must be currently taking part in a Legal Traineeship (Referendariat) in Germany
• Knowledge of either Environmental Law / Public International Law / European Law / Administrative Law
• Fluency (at least CEFR level C1) in English

Further Information

• Duration of traineeship: At least three months. We can offer placements from May 2026 onwards.
• Time commitment: Around 32 hours/week, depending on the Federal States’ regulation. One day off per week to study.
• Rate of pay: ClientEarth does not offer any remuneration in addition to the state-paid allowance legal trainees receive.
• Timeline: We will advertise this position three times a year – in February, June and October. We encourage you to apply at the beginning of your Traineeship, or at least nine months in advance, as places fill up quickly.

Flexible working: We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based See our Benefits page for more.

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds.

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to host those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in Germany.

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.

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